Michigan Senate Bill 59 - Please call or e-mail your state Senator today2012/03/26The most important legislation for legal gun owners since the Castle Doctrine and shall-issue is currently under consideration by the Michigan Legislature. The bill would eliminate county gun boards and allow all CPL holders to be exempt from pistol free zones after additional training.

Senate Bill 59 (S-3) passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee last Thursday. A vote is expected in the full Senate this week. Please call or e-mail your state senator today and ask them to vote YES on Senate Bill 59 (S-3).Click HERE to Find Your Senator.

Details of SB 59 (S-3):

Gun boards, an archaic entity created during the dawn of Michigan gun control laws in 1927, would be eliminated.

County sheriffs would assume the responsibility of gun boards. Accountability for abiding by the law will rest with one local, elected official.

Nothing changes about the standards for getting a CPL. The strong background check and fingerprint requirements are preserved.

CPL fees would be used to improve the CPL process for applicants not used to subsidize unrelated operations.

Annual reporting requirements would be strengthened and provide a more accurate picture of the law-abiding nature of those with a CPL.

Mandatory instructor registration would end. Instructors instead would list more information on certificates to help verify their qualifications to teach.

No more endless delays. License decisions would be made within 45 days from the date of application.

The deadline will finally have some teeth. If counties fail to obey the law, they will have to issue temporary licenses and refunds of their share of the fee.

Clerks will have to mail approved licenses, saving folks an additional day off of work. They'll also have to send renewal notices 3-6 months prior to the expiration date. Counties do it for dog licenses, they should do it for CPLs.

Applicants would be provided with a "Rights and Responsibilities" booklet that explains the CPL process, their rights and responsibilities in plain language, clearing up confusion about the law once and for all.

A CPL fee will get you a CPL, like a driver's license fee gets you a driver's license. No more nickel and diming of law-abiding gun owners. Counties could not charge more than the statutory $105 fee.

Even more teeth will be added to the law. County sheriffs who unjustifiably deny licenses to law-abiding, qualified citizens would be subject to increased financial penalties in court.

Applicants will no longer fear financial penalty simply for pursuing due process of a constitutional right in the courts. Current language in the law can be used by the courts to force applicants to pay the county's court and attorney costs if their appeal is unsuccessful. This will be eliminated.

Training that was completed within 5 years before applying for a CPL would be acceptable, ending unreasonable standards imposed by counties across the state.

A license suspension would be a license suspension, not a de facto revocation as is practice. The proposal creates a uniform reinstatement process for licensees who obey the law during the suspension period and still qualify for a CPL.

The quality of CPL training provided to folks would be strengthened and improved by increasing the required number of rounds fired from 30 to 98, the NRA standard.

Counties could no longer mandate unregulated refresher courses for renewals. The affidavit you swear to under penalty of a felony will serve as adequate verification that you obeyed the law.

While getting a CPL in Michigan will be no more difficult than it currently is, a reasonable avenue is established for law-abiding folks to get a shall-issue exemption to the pistol free zones.

Applicants who have completed an additional 9 hours of training and fired an additional 94 rounds would qualify for the exemption, as would NRA instructors teaching CPL courses.

Essentially, we're going from a one day requirement to a two day requirement. The framework for this training already exists in the NRA.

Just as when "shall issue" was passed, training availability and affordability will meet the demand. Instructors could easily combine the courses.

The elitist practice of creating exemptions for the select few based on their occupation will end. The law will focus on training and proven competency with firearms.

A licensee can currently carry openly in places such as schools and hospitals. They want to carry concealed. They should be able to put a jacket over their firearm.